


Adam's Secret but Not-So-Secret boyfriend

by nakadoo



Series: Adam and his Surprisingly Normal College Life [1]
Category: Raven Cycle - Maggie Stiefvater
Genre: M/M, Ronan seems like he's being an ass but he's actually shy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-26
Updated: 2016-11-26
Packaged: 2018-09-02 09:03:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,094
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8660833
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nakadoo/pseuds/nakadoo
Summary: Another "Adam tells his college friends his boyfriend is a farmer and they completely imagined Ronan differently" fanfic





	

**Author's Note:**

> This is mostly with original characters to get the story going :^))

To people who've only known Adam Parrish for the first few months of the new school semester, he was a charming guy with a timid but nice smile, tired looking eyes filled with light and enthusiasm and determination and perseverance. He was a quiet overachiever, humble and kind and patient. A social butterfly in the sense that he got along with anyone who talked to him, but a wallflower all the same in the way he drew back and stayed aloof. He declined most invitations to go out in favor of doing whatever it was Adam Parrish chose to do.

He was, in layman's term, a cool kid. Not the kind who wore shades and impressed everyone. No, he was cool in the sense that he was so sure of himself, so comfortable in his own skin.

To the people who've known Adam and seen him grow, who know that he's struggled to be who he was now, think that he's strong and brave, impulsive and daring, careful but kind and considerate and amazing. To people who've known him even when he was at his worst, they called him a friend. They called him The Magician.

Adam, however, considered himself a problem that he was slowly trying to solve, trying to fix. He still had nasty habits that he longed to get rid of, he still had hatchets to bury and bridges to burn. He had a future to plan and relationships to maintain. He was, in his own eyes, far from the cool and amazing person most people perceived him to be. But that's fine. It's fine now. He knows that despite his imperfections he's still a good person, he tries to be; he knows when he's wrong and he's starting to learn now how to swallow his pride, he's starting to understand how to be more mature now and trying to put that into practice.

Keyword: try.

Despite himself, despite how highly people think of him and how much he wants to exude an air of respectability, Adam Parish is still kind of an asshole.

 

"Right? How could he possibly turn down the cutest girl in our class? There's no other reason to it really, you'd have to be blind not to know," Julius whispered loudly enough that people outside of his small friend group could hear. It's not that he meant to be that loud, he just can't use his inside voice even if his life depended on it.

"I mean sure I guess, but maybe he's just not interested?" Elias argued, always the rational one of their group. He wasn't quick to judge and he liked to watch and observe. He was weird like that but liked by his peers; he always knew what to say. "He's a pretty serious guy, you know? I think he's got his mind on a diploma rather than a girl, or any person's, digits." He'd been Adam's study partner and project partner constantly and he finds it safe to assume that relationships just aren't on the top of Adam's priority list.

"Maybe he's a plant," Jennifer commented. She was weird and odd and blunt with her words and used metaphors that were just a little bit hard to understand. Unlike her friends in the circle, she wasn't as liked as they were but she didn't really mind. The ones who accepted her were few and that was fine with her. "You know, self reproduction, quiet, more or less self-sufficient."

"You mean asexual?" Elias provided for her.

"Yea but no. Not exactly but it's kind of like that. I forget the term— No romo?" she babbled on.

"Oh, wait. I think I get it. Aromantic?" He's read up a bit on that before. It's hard for him to imagine someone who didn't feel those kinds of feelings but who's he to judge.

"Yea! Bingo, you got it buddy," Jennifer nodded.

"Enough with your jargons," Julius whined childishly, slumping back against his seat. "That's not the question I'm asking. Yay or nay, is Adam Parrish gay?"

He didn't notice the eyes on him until he realized how eerily quiet it became. He raised an eyebrow at both of his friends, looking at them in hopes of finding out just what the heck caused the entire class to shut their mouths. Jennifer had the tips of her fingers gingerly touching the tip of her lips with a small little smile on her face whereas Elias wore a smug, almost sinister looking, expression on his.

Elias jerked his chin forward, towards someone behind Julius. "Why don't you ask him yourself?"

Julius' eyes grew wide, his face going mildly pale as he slowly turned around to face the object of their conversation. "Parrish. You... You're usually not late so we assumed you were sick..." he tried lamely.

"Nay," Adam answered casually, pulling the seat next to Jennifer out before sitting down next to her.

"Nay?" Julius echoed.

"Nay, I'm not gay," Adam clarified. Jennifer bumped shoulders with him and Elias gave an amused snort. "Glad to know that my friends like to talk about my sexuality while I'm not around. Really warms the heart." For effect, he placed a hand over his heart, an obviously faux expression encompassing his features.

A few snickers were heard around the classroom.

Adam, outside of the small friend circle that he'd manage to find and belong to, was near unapproachable. It wasn't that he was unfriendly or unkind, it's just that he had a certain air around him that made it difficult to fully connect with him. Even his three new friends still found it a little hard to be totally comfortable with him. They tried, they really did, but there were some things they didn't know how to approach.

Adam Parrish didn't like talking about his family life. All anyone knows about him in regards to family is that he's an only child and that he left his parents back at Henrietta. He wasn't close with his cousins and other relatives, and he wasn't too inclined to physical touch. People assumed that his family life wasn't that great, and they weren't that far from the truth. But they didn't push. Adam would smile when he noticed the obvious switch of topics, he appreciated that. His friends kind of liked his smile.

Julius groaned and slumped against his seat, bumping his knee against Adam's in a combination of unspoken complain and apology. "I mean, I woulda asked but the topic just never came up to be discussed. So hey, here it is. We're talking about your sexuality. Would you like to know mine? Fare is fare," Julius told him.

"I don't want to know the nitty-gritty details of your sex life. Thanks though," Adam replied with a smug little grin. He liked teasing his friends, he didn't get to experience that too much when he was younger and now that he was a little more comfortable to do it he'd do it when he could.

"Aw, there's not much to tell anyway," Elias laughed, ruffling Julius' hair. "He couldn't get a date even if his life depended on it."

"He has two hands though, don't worry," Jennifer piped up with a grin that looked as smug as Adam's.

"Triple teamed by those I call comrades, what a shame—"

"Don't you dare do it—" Elias warned but was cut off.

"Et tu, Brute?"

The three of his friends groaned. Julius smiled triumphantly.

—

Sometimes Adam got this far off look in his eyes, almost like he was in a different world completely, seeing everything and nothing at all. Most of the time, no one usually took notice, much too busy with their own problems and school requirements to comment on it. If anyone noticed, they usually assumed it was due to lack of sleep or stress. But to Elias, ever observant Elias, it seemed more like a state of disassociation. It was mildly worrying.

He'd thought it was just the stress of academics too but the more he was with Adam the more he realized that Adam knew how to balance his academic life to suit his lifestyle. He knew how to set aside time for himself and his hobbies, knew how to manage a report during his free time at work, and knew how to study in a way that wasn't tiring. Adam was practically a master at balance so it couldn't have been his academics that was making him like that.

"Hey, you alright there buddy?" Elias asked, planting his hand atop of Adam's head in the way an older brother would. "You look out of it," he was worried but he didn't want to seem like it was so. He tried to be casual.

Adam's eyes seem to flicker for a moment before his gaze comes back to focus on the real world. "Huh? Yeah. I'm fine. Sorry, was that weird?"

Elias debated weather or not he should be honest. He had no reason to lie and Adam was pretty open to a lot of things. "A little weird, yeah," he confessed. "Something on your mind?"

Adam hesitated slightly, just a beat that went unnoticed. "Yeah, just thinking of someone."

Elias again tried to be casual. As much as he chided Julius for being too nosy, he was just as curious about Adam as he was. "A girlfriend back home?" he teased.

"A friend, who's a girl, who isn't home. And her boyfriend, and her other friend who is a boy..." Adam mulled in his thoughts, realizing how silly he sounded at that moment. "I was thinking about my friends," he summarized. "I guess I miss them, haven't heard from them in a while."

To Adam, Elias realized, friends were more important to him than family. Elias himself couldn't fully comprehend that, having come from a caring and tight knit family, but he understood that some people just couldn't get along with their family for various other factors. He patted the top of Adam's head again, his hair fluffy beneath his fingers. "I get it man, it's hard being away from the people you love."

Adam looked at his hand carefully, studying his palm as if he were looking at a complicated map instead of something that he saw everyday. He curled his fingers slowly into a loose fist. "Yeah. Yeah, it is."

Elias realized this too: Adam had a weird sort of fascination with his own hands, as well as the hands of others. He asked him about it once and all Adam had to say about it was that someone though he had nice hands but he could not for the life of him figure out what made his so special. Elias shook his head and brought himself back to the now. "You thinking of your special someone?" he joked lightly.

"Yeah," Adam admitted easily but slowly. He sighed. He opened his mouth as if he were going to say something but closed it just as soon. Whatever he had in mind he'd decided that it wasn't important enough to share. He turned back to his textbook and tried to focus.

That was fine, Elias thought. He's a curious guy but more so than that he's patient. He doesn't push for more information, and even if he did he wouldn't get anything considering how quickly Adam shifts his focus from nothing to the book in front of him. It's hard trying not to think about it though. Adam's a sweet guy, and if he were to be honest, he wasn't hard on the eyes either. He was charming, in a weird sort of way that Elias couldn't explain. But, whoever it is that managed to find a special place in Adam's heart, Elias is sure they're just as charming as he is.

—

Unlike Elias and his patience, Jennifer was blunt and to the point. She asked all the questions that came to her mind and ultimately that got several people to come to dislike her. But that's fine, she didn't crave physical touch like most people did, and she didn't mind the solitude of isolation. Though Adam Parrish had managed to be an exception, just as Julius and Elias before him.

She liked that Adam didn't hide his irritation towards her either, during the times she got annoying. She knew she could get annoying, it was grounding to know that someone could be forward with her instead of being pointlessly polite.

"So you're really not gay?" she asked Adam, watching him as he tinkered under the hood of her second-hand car. They were on their way back to the campus when it shuddered to a stop. The old thing that used to belong to her older brother was something she didn't want replaced even though she had the means to get something new and shiny, she was sentimental. She handed him a bottle of water when her friend extended his hand towards her.

"This is really something you're asking me?" Adam asked back, taking the bottle from her hands to pour water into the radiator of her car. He twisted the cap back on and turned around, leaning against the car as he waited. "Well, I'm glad you're talking about this to my face this time instead of behind my back."

"I didn't really think about it a lot, or at all, until Julius mentioned it," Jennifer replied. She leaned against her car too right next to Adam, sweat beginning to trail from her brow down her nose. She wiped it away with the back of her hand. "And I mentioned aromanticisim but then I remembered you had a girlfriend... Blue was her name, wasn't it?"

Adam liked Jennifer and her honesty. In a way, she reminded him of Blue. They were almost like the same brand of weird, though Jennifer has proven to be more annoying than angry when compared to Blue. She liked DIY and reading, she did not like studying and would only study if forced. That was a job that Adam had taken upon himself.

"Yeah, her name is Blue. She's a good friend," he explained. His hands were specked with grease but he didn't really mind. He wiped them on his denim pants and shrugged. "I think you'd like her. Or maybe not? She's kind of like you but different."

"Obviously I'm the cuter one," she laughed.

"That's to be debated," Adam laughed too.

"So, not gay," Jennifer said suddenly, lifting her hand to her mouth so that she could rub the pad of her thumb curiously against her bottom lip. "Straight?"

"Nay."

"Bi?" she offered.

"Yay," Adam replied.

"Hmm, hmm," she hummed thoughtfully. "That makes sense," she mused out loud. "Since you've told me this I'll share a secret too."

"It wasn't really a secret, I just didn't think it was something I had to tell people—" Adam said but was interrupted.

"Julius is pansexual. A real bed hopper, that one." She hummed thoughtfully again, and Adam could almost swear he saw the light bulb that popped above her head. "Do you think that's why he was asking about you? Damn, Adam. Maybe he wants to bed you," she said without an ounce of shame. "If he tries, tell him to at least use a condom."

"That wasn't even your secret to share!" Adam laughed. "And if he tries, I'm going to have to decline."

"Taken?"

"Yeah," Adam admitted just as easily.

"Dedicated? Devoted? Completely committed?"

"Practically married now that I think about it," Adam replied. He though of all the gifts he's ever gotten, he thought of the ring that he received that he never wears on his finger but carries around with him everywhere.

"That's kind of disgustingly cute," she confessed. "But still cute. Will I ever get to meet him? Is he from here?"

"What makes you think my lover's a guy?" Adam asked.

She shrugged. "A woman's intuition?"

"That's ridiculous."

"Yes, says the guy with the tarot cards in his bag all the time," she laughed and nudged her shoulders against his but it was more like her shoulder brushing against his arm. She was not very tall. "Tell me about him?"

"Maybe another time."

She nodded. That was fine. "S'the car ready yet? I'm sweating to death here."

"Yeah, let's get out of here."

—

They were meeting today to finish a group project; when the semester started they were grouped solely based on where they were seated in the classroom. Whenever they had more group projects to do, they almost naturally drifted towards each other and eventually accepted that this was their friend circle and there was no point in trying to break it now.

"Here you go."

"What the absolute heck?"

Julius was starting to reconsider that now though.

He stared in disbelief at the box that was thrown onto his lap, right on top of where his open notebook was laying. He stared at it, trying really hard to comprehend what it was, but it was so out of context that he couldn't really believe what he was seeing. "Yo, what the heck?"

"I care about your sexual health," Jennifer told him bluntly, loud enough for other people to hear, before patting his knee in what was supposed to be a supportive way but it came off as condescending. She batted her eyelashes at him before squeezing in right next to him even though there were many more empty chairs she could have resided in.

"Jenny, what," Julius asked in disbelief. "You pervert, you got a ribbed one?" he wiggled around in his seat for a moment just to make enough room for her. His hands settled on her gift with a mixture of annoyance and disbelief on his face. It was a condom just as he'd describe, strawberry flavored, and honestly too small for him. Probably a jab at his ego, the little gremlin. "What brought this up?"

"I was talking to Adam about your sexcapades—"

At the mention of his name, Adam raised his hand slightly in acknowledgement and nodded. He mouthed "sexcapades" in an exaggerated way.

"—and wanted to be a thoughtful friend. Aren't I a peach?"

"A terribly rotted one, right down to the core," Julius answered back.

Elias, who assigned himself to order their coffees (he knew just how everyone liked them anyway), distributed cups of coffee before he plopped down in the seat next to Adam's. "There's more in her car," he told him, trying to hide the laugh when he saw Julius' face. "I really tried to stop her but..." he shrugged.

"She really cares a lot about your sexcapades," Adam thought out loud, mostly to annoy Julius. It was just so easy to rile him up, it was fun to tease.

"D'ya think we can make balloon animals with them?" Elias asked in genuine curiosity.

"Maybe water balloons," Adam answered back earnestly.

Julius sagged against his seat, exasperated. Sometimes he wondered why he stuck to these people. "You guys suck."

"We could try the condom challenge," Jennifer pitched in, completely ignoring Julius' noises of complaint.

"Oh gross. Is that the thing where you taste the flavored ones?"

"I'd rather not do that."

"Memento Mori," Jennifer stated. "Or as they say in current times, YOLO."

Julius conceded and leaned forward again to join their conversation. "Pray tell, what exactly urged you to suddenly care about my sex life?"

Jennifer shrugged and waved a dismissive hand. "Anyway, now is next time isn't it?" she asked Adam. "Tell me. Tell us so Julius doesn't start making wild assumptions again."

"I thought we were supposed to be doing this project," Elias said with a disapproving frown. He turned his head towards Adam, hoping that he too would be the voice of reason, but whatever else he had to say died in his throat. The look on Adam's face is absolutely bright and genuine and happy, an expression that was rare and never so raw. "Adam...?"

"My boyfriend," he stated. He never really talked about him, never really mentioned him to anyone except vaguely to Jennifer, but he was aching and terribly missing him. He got a small bubbly feeling in the center of his chest just thinking about him, just thinking that there was someone who was happy for his relationship. He smiled.

"Yes! Yes, your boyfriend!" Jennifer cheered. "I wanna know about him. What kind of guy could possibly steal your heart?"

Julius balked, as did Elias.

"What does he study? Is he from here? Can we meet him?" Jennifer pressed on.

"Ah, well, he's back home," Adam started. "He barely graduated high school and didn't pursue higher education even though I really wanted him to," he explained with a small frown. "But he wants to start a farm since he inherited his dad's barn. He's really good with animals too."

"He's a farmer?!" Julius exclaimed. Elias shushed him for being too loud.

"Call him!" Jennifer exclaimed excitedly, clapping her hands in delight. "Let me talk to him! I want to meet your farmer boyfriend."

"Oh, well... He doesn't really use his phone," Adam sighed, his exuberance deflating considerably. It was gone as soon as it came. "He writes letters though. A lot of them. He says he's coming to visit during the semestral break."

"So you're going to let me meet him, right?" Jennifer insisted.

Adam contemplated for a moment. He'd want nothing more than for his current friends to be friends with his boyfriend. It's not often that he felt so loved by people, and if anything he'd like to keep them all close. He'd very much like his current friends to meet the old gang too, and he was already contemplating on how he'd go about that. Gansey, Henry, and Blue were still on their ridiculous road trip across all fifty states, while Noah flicked from time to time to hang out with him when he could. There was, if he wasn't mistaken, a leyline a little ways away from the campus. He could probably set up a meeting there. But that was for another time. "Yeah. Yeah, you'll meet him."

"This is an injustice," Julius said after he finally got over his initial shock, shoving Jennifer back ever so slightly almost as if he were pushing her out of a spotlight. "She asks you and you tell her but when I do it you make fun of me?"

"Well, you didn't really ask. You talked about it behind his back," Elias provided helpfully.

"Details that don't matter!"

"I object to that."

"You aren't the judiciary."

"Mmm, in this case I am."

"Overruled."

"Anyway," Jennifer cut in like it wasn't her fault that the conversation strayed from the responsibility that they had to deal with in the first place. "Shut up, let's get this thing done and over with already. I don't want to think about it anymore."

—

A farmer.

Julius wants to say he's surprised but he's not. He kind of gets it, sort of (but not really). Adam Parrish is a humble, simple guy (not completely true). It makes sense that he'd end up in a relationship with someone who was simple and humble as well. At least, that's how he pictured farmers. They either were the stereotypical angry get-off-my-lawn kind of farmer or the do-you-want-to-see-my-crops kind of farmer.

Contrary to popular belief, Julius was not as gossipy as most people perceived him to be. He just liked to be in the know, and he was just as curious as any of his friends, though he lacked the subtlety, eloquence, and grace when it came to discussing matters that could be considered as private. He'd never blurt out a secret though, especially if he'd been asked to. He was loyal to his friends and he valued whatever trust was given to him.

"So," he stated. "A farmer."

He and Adam Parrish were at the outskirts of the campus, sitting in the back of his beat up and very much loved pick-up truck. It was new, but Julius was reckless. He said it gave it character, and less reasons for people to steal it. He put a mattress at the back just to have a place to nap in between classes, or a place to hang around under the stars with his friends. It was not, as Jennifer accused, a place for a quick fuck.

Adam, momentarily shocked at the sudden question, raised an eyebrow at him. He laid back against the mattress that smelt mildly of sweat and the sun. "Yes," he confirmed. "A farmer. Are you surprised?"

"Yes but no?" Julius confessed. He laid down too, arms folding behind his head as a makeshift pillow. He should consider adding pillows now that he thought about it. "A farmer was definitely not on the top of the list, but I don't find myself shocked that he's a farmer of all things."

After a beat of silence, Julius spoke again. "So what kind of crops does he grow? Or is it poultry?"

"Cows," Adam answered. "Lots of cows. Stupid looking cows."

"Ever milked one?"

"No, but it's on my to do list."

"He makes you happy, huh?"

Adam blinked. It was such an honest statement asked in a tone of voice that sounded weird. He didn't know what to call it but he's heard it in Gansey's voice before, and Blue's, and even Noah's. It left him feeling mildly overwhelmed and terribly thankful. He's not too sure why. "Yeah, he does. He's ridiculous but... He makes me happy. I'm... Honestly, the happiest I've ever been in so long."

It was a loaded statement, Julius could tell. He'd known and hung around Adam long enough to know that this boy never really got to experience much happiness. He chose to stay quiet about it. "Sounding sappy there, Parrish."

"I'm feeling a little sappy," Adam admitted. "And I think it's not bad that I feel sappy."

"I mean, it's kind gross and too emotional for me but I get you. That's fine" Julius explained. "We've got a lot of shit head of us in the future, these are the easiest steps we're going to take."

Adam laughed softly to himself, a little inside joke that only a few people would understand. "Excelsior."

"What?"

"You know, like in the comic books," Adam elaborated, mildly offended at Julius' confusion. "My friend used to say it all the time. I bet'cha he still does."

Julius went quiet again in contemplation. This time, he couldn't keep quiet. "You really miss them."

The tone in Julius' voice sounded different again. Sadness hidden beneath the fondness and happiness on Adam's behalf. "They're... my family," Adam explained in a hushed tone. He looked at Julius then and studied his features. He still looked and acted boyish, but he had his moments just like now when he seemed much older than he actually was. "You're my friend."

"Don't go sappy on me," Julius joked, bumping knees with Adam. His voice this time sounded relived, happy.

Adam smiled. He looked up at the stars and imagined the cool breeze washing over them was from Cabeswater, pretended that the breeze carried more than just a chill, maybe even had whispered promises from the only other person who held power there. Maybe it said I'll see you soon, maybe it was nothing, but it comforted Adam all the same. "I can't wait for you guys to meet him."

—

Over the next few weeks, they learned more about the farmer boyfriend through the little comments that Adam has told them: he likes birds, and animals in general. He has two brothers, one he doesn't get along with and the other whom he looks at like he's the sun. The picture that Adam has painted for them is that of a gentle but misunderstood guy; kind but wary, fiercely loyal to those he deems worthy of his trust and affection.

When the day finally comes, Adam is visibly excited despite how hard he tries to hide it. He can't help the way the corner of his lips twitch up into a small smile. Jennifer wont shut up about how excited she is to meet an actual farmer whereas Elias is honestly curious about how the life of a farmer is. Julius is still _nervous_ for reasons that he can't understand.

"Adam didn't tell us what his boyfriend looks like," Elias commented offhandedly as his eyes scanned the area. They'd been waiting together in the parking lot for Adam's farmer boyfriend when Adam was called in by one of their professors to discuss something regarding the report that Adam only just earlier that day presented.

"He's camera shy," Jennifer told him. She knew as much but only because Adam told her. "Or maybe camera repulsed."

"And he doesn't really like using his phone," Julius added. He wanted to talk to this farmer boyfriend before he even came so that he could have at least some sort of idea of what he was like, so he could know what to expect aside from the little that Adam has told them. He tried, got turned down, and had to relent to respect Adam's boyfriend and to avoid offending him.

Elias shrugged, his legs dangling carelessly off the ground from where he sat on the back of Julius' pickup truck. Jennifer was sprawled across the mattress behind him, tinkering away on her 3DS as they waited. Julius couldn't stop pacing back and forth, only stopping when Elias physically stopped him. "Chill man. I'm sure Adam'll be back soon then we can welcome his boyfriend to the campus together."

"Why are you so nervous anyway?" Jennifer asked, rolling onto her stomach and crawling so that she was at the edge of the mattress. "S'not like he's your boyfriend or anything."

"Well I mean," Julius shrugged his shoulders too before stuffing his hands into his pockets petulantly. "I've, you know..."

Jennifer and Elias shared a look, their eyebrows almost rising in unison.

Julius scratched the back of his neck in frustration, feeling the skin there grow warm under his fingers. "Remember?! I tried to flirt with Parrish back then but got shot down so instantaneously," he grumbled unhappily. He didn't think he was too bad looking and he considered himself to be at least somewhat attractive. It may have affected his self-confidence at the time, but then again he's always been a little bit insecure about himself. "I wanna know just what kind of person could sweep Parrish off his feet."

"I didn't think about it that way," Elias hummed thoughtfully. "If you're worried about your face being ugly, it's not _too_ ugly. Besides, Adam isn't the kind of guy who'd base his romantic attraction on looks."

"He's kinda cagey when it comes to his feelings," Jennifer nodded in agreement. "He's... He's like... What's that term? When you fall in love with someone because you really connect with them?"

"Isn't that how most relationships work?" Elias asked skeptically.

"No, no. I mean. It's that kind of romanticism thing. I forgot what it was called," Jennifer rolled onto her back again, kicking her legs as if it would somehow help her remember.

"Oh wait, I get you. Demiromantic. That's it, right?"

"Yeah!" she cheered. "Yeah, that's right."

Julius sighed, tired of pacing. He sat down next to his friends before laying back. "Why do you guys keep talking about crud like that? Why can't you, I don't know, get yourselves boyfriends or girlfriends or something? Why do you have to define everything?"

Elias flicked a finger against Julius' forehead. "Don't be rude. It's easier for some people to have labels—"

"Uh oh," Jennifer squeaked, peering over the edge of the pick up truck. "I think Adam's in trouble," she said. "You guys could like, I dunno, hold up in a fight right?"

Julius sat up abruptly. "What?"

Elias followed Jennifer's gaze. "Really? Bullies? On this campus? At this age? That's so stupid," he commented exasperatedly before standing up, already rolling up his sleeves to get ready for a fight. "Hey Jul, think you could hold him off?"

"You know, for the most logical in our group, you really like to use your fists to prove your point," Julius said, following after Elias who was already making a beeline to their friend to save him from the particularly intimidating looking guy.

Jennifer followed behind them as well. She hoped that she could be the voice of reason if all else failed.

As they got closer, they started to hear snippets of the conversation. It didn't go unnoticed to them that some people were watching carefully. After all, it wasn't everyday that a wallflower like Adam Parrish got picked on, and some weird sort of curiosity in them wanted to know what he'd be like under the pressure of a bully.

"It's not a show, damned bastards," Julius swore under his breath, indignation running through him on Adam's behalf.

"—C'mon turd," the bully said to Adam. "What's taking so long? Why can't we just—"

Adam huffed unhappily. It was starting to look less like he was being bullied now that they could hear the amused but irritated tone in his voice. "Because? I told you, I'm trying to be better. I'm trying to—" he made a vague gesture with his hands as he tried to articulate himself. "I want this to work."

"It works just fine, Parrish," the not-really-a-bully-but-still-intimidating guy answered back. "It'll happen when it happens—"

"I'm making it happen!" Adam exclaimed.

The stranger rolled his eyes. "You're still so fucking stubborn." His voice held no venom, his eyes were alight with glee. A smile split his face. "Asshole."

"Asshole," Adam echoed but the frown on his face turned into a smile to mirror the stranger's. His eyes were kind, his tone was fond.

And then they were kissing.

Elias stopped just as their lips connected. Julius bumped into him, complained, but then realized why he stopped in the first place. Jennifer's face was the perfect picture of shock.

The kiss was brief, just the tender touch of lips against lips, but somehow it seemed more intimate than if they witnessed two people kissing passionately as if their lives depended on it. No, this kiss was simple but well meant, a promise of more to come later on. Casual, natural, completely normal.

"Where's Opal?"

"With Matthew. Meeting them later for dinner. You coming?"

Adam punched his shoulder lightly. "Are you implying I'm not already invited?"

"Not with that attitude—"

"Wait, wait, wait. So? Parrish, who's this?" Julius asked, pushing Elias aside to stand in front of his friends in an attempt reclaim his self-proclaimed position as their leader. "The...? Farmer....?"

"You told them I'm a farmer?" The farmer asked with an amused smile.

"Want me to tell them you're a dreamer instead?" Adam smiled too.

It was a lot of smiles coming from Adam at once. It was a little bit overwhelming if they had to be honest, but not unwelcome at all.

"But yeah, uh. This is him, the guy I've been telling you about," Adam finally introduced, stepping aside slightly as he gesticulated towards his boyfriend. "Ronan Lynch."

Even his _name_ sounded violent.

Ronan smiled in a way that was both charming and threatening. It was easy to see that he was attractive. He nodded his head once in acknowledgement, eyeing each of Adam's friends before turning back to Adam. "Can we go now?"

"Yeah, sure," Adam said. He turned to his friends. His smile was unguarded and genuine. "I'll see you guys around. He's being an ass right now but maybe later he'll warm up to you—"

"Fat chance." Ronan scoffed, already walking towards his BMW. Before he could unlock his door, a raven descended and landed on his shoulder. An actual, honest to god raven. Right on his shoulder, just like some villain out of a story.

Adam perked up at the sight of the raven, running after Ronan to catch up to him. "You brought Chainsaw!"

Their conversation followed easily, their voices fading as they got into the car and muted once the doors were closed.

"Is he really a farmer?" Jennifer asked.

"I don't think Adam would lie about something like that. I guess don't judge a book by it's cover?" Elias shrugged and began to roll his sleeve down since there was no need for a fight.

Julius stared after the BMW in awe. He scratched the back of his neck, bewildered. "I'd date him—"

Jennifer kicked him at the back of his knees.

**Author's Note:**

> i didnt intend to fall in love with my own ocs lmao im gonna develop them more and draw them oops
> 
> but man, i love adam introducing ronan to his friends that shit keeps me alive


End file.
